Danny Phantom: Your Guide to All Things Ghostly
by Alexia Moonlight
Summary: Unanswered questions about epsiodes? Have no idea WHAT the HECK a ghost even IS? Well, I was thinking that of people had problems like this, I could help! Tune in to find answers and theories, written just for you! First up: Introduction: What is a Ghost?
1. Introduction: What is a Ghost?

**Author's note: I thought maybe this would be a good way to actually think about the events of the series. And then I thought, "I guess I could share this with the FanFiction world." Oh, and I need a few people to interview for the next chapter. I just want to know you're theories for something. Details at the bottom, because I don't want this note to be freakishly long. Enjoy!**

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_**Danny Phantom: Your Guide to All Things Ghostly**_

_**by Alexia Moonlight**_

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**Introduction: What is a Ghost?**

I've heard this question asked frequently. "What _is _a ghost?" My friends will ask me when I blabber on about Danny Phantom. Well, I took some ghost books out of the library and came up with this conclusion:

Ghost or spirits can appear in different forms, and each have a definite purpose, or obsession. At least, thats what most believers think. They might visit for reasons like to take revenge on those who have hurt them, give warnings of death or upcoming events, or even just because they aren't able to rest in peace because haven't been properly buried. The better known types of ghosts include:

**Banshee**: A ghost in the form of a screaming women which originated in Ireland. It is said that a banshee forewarns a human being of his or her time of death.

**Ghoul: **A demon from Arabia that lives in deserts and sucks the blood of humans, kind of like a vampire.

**Jinnie: **A jinnie is a spirit from the Middle East made of smokeless fire. A jinnie can be controlled with magic by binding it to an object.

**Duppy: **A spirit from Jamaica who is said to live in the buttress roots of silk cotten trees.

**Virika: **A red, small, evil spirit from India. A virika will roam around during the night making strange noises that sound like gibberish.

**Poltergeist: **A ghost which is never seen, only heard. It is violent, noisy, and sometimes even causes fires. Some say that most poltergeists cause trouble in the houses of families with troubled teenagers.

Of course, none of the ghosts mentioned above appear on Danny Phantom. The ghosts on DP look fairly much like normal people, but can float, fly, walk through solid objects, and become invisible or vice-versa. These ghosts also seem to have special powers, which I haven't heard anything about in the books I have taken out from the library or wikipedia.

In reality, ghosts can**not** age. But, in cartoons, apparently they can. Take Dan, (Danny's evil future in _The Ultimate Enemy_) for instance. Danny was fourteen when he got his powers, so, while his human form ages, his ghost form should stay the way it was in the accident. Yet, Dan is 24 and looks like a 24 year old (but slightly hotter. Oh... did I type that out loud?)

There are many different theories as to what ghosts are made up of. The number one theory is ectoplasm, followed by pure energy, and then magnetic field. Now, I believe that ghosts are a mixture of all three, but I'll get more into that in the next chapter. Anyway, ghosts on DP seem to be made up of ectoplasm, and Maddie described them as an "odd manifestation of ectoplasmic energy and post-human consciousness" in the episode _Public Enemies. _

Now, I have to say that this show has certainly peaked my interest in ghosts. The following chaapters, if you would like me to continue, will include things on the episodes with unanswered questions, such as _Phantom Planet_, _The Ultimate Enemy_, _Reality Trip_, and any other episode you may be able to think of. You can take a look beyond the drawings, and into the mind of a mere fan who happens to think very much.

Sources:

_Ghosts and Poltergeists _by David West

_The Unexplained: Ghosts and the Supernatural _by Colin Wilson

_Wikipedia _by I. Hav NoIdea

**XxX**

**NEXT CHAPTER: Is he alive? Is he dead? Is he both? What exactly IS he? Read the theories of author's like in the next chapter, **_**Danny: The Phantom Theory**_

**IMPORTANT: I need some DP authors to interview on their theories, if you wouldn't mind contributing. If you wish, I can keep your identity a secret. But, if no one wants to help, I can always interview some of my friends. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Danny: The Phantom Theory

_**Danny Phantom: Your Guide to All Things Ghostly**_

_**By Alexia Moonlight**_

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**Chapter 1- Danny: The Phantom Theory**

Now, I know some people _really _have no idea about Danny's hybrid status. And that's perfectly OK. Unless Butch Hartman tells us himself, we only have the ideas in our heads to guide us.

I said I would get people's theories. Well, I didn't know that people would respond so quickly! I have about four people who contributed to me. Thanks so much!

**Authors' Theories:**

"Hmm... well, I wouldn't mind you putting my name out there. I wanna be known!! Ahem. As for my thoughts, if you mean about what Danny really is, then I'll have to say that he's both. And I'm not just cheating either. When Danny was shocked, the electricity was strong enough to kill him. So, technically, he died. But the electricity was laced with ectoplasmic energy. That, plus the suddenness of his death (meaning unfinished business) made the existence of his ghost more probable. But his ghost formed before Danny officially died. And a ghost, already having no life to speak of, can 'survive' such a fatal accident. The formation of his ghost gave him the bit of resistance he needed to make it through the accident. In short, dying is what kept him alive.* Another theory is that the ectoplasmic energy in the electricity really only affected parts of his DNA: supercharged him to the point of half-dead status with benefits."

-**BluFox15**

"Hi. I saw the story, and, if you agree, I have my own theory about Danny's status. According to the opening credits, Danny got his DNA fused with ectoplasm; this is very similar to the way Peter Parker's changed when the mutated spider bite him. Now, Peter didn't turn into a giant spider; instead, he got the proportional abilities of the arachnid. If we apply this to Danny's situation, then he's a human that got enhanced with ghostly-like powers, and the ectoplasm is so fused with his own DNA the other specters consider him once. Also, another theory; why Danny has so many powers? The thing, I think, comes from his 'obssession'; protecting people and being a hero. The Box Ghost has power over boxes because that's what he cares about; Ember is a musical ghost so her power involves sound waves and so. Danny, being a teen, when getting powers his thought, even if subconscious one at first, is to be a hero -an obvious influence from comics, cartoons and videogames-, and because of that his powers include variations of classic superhero abilities; invulnerability (the force fields), ice powers (Superman's freezing breath) and energy blasts. Vlad has similar abilities both due practice and that his motivation is to be a villain. Finally, the ghostly strength; Danny is far stronger than humans, and can lift stuff as heavy as a school bus, kids and all. I think of two theories for this; one is that Danny, when lifting something, makes it intangible and therefore weightless; the other is that Danny, when transformed, no longer has the same limitations as normal humans, like aching muscles or hard breathing when making a huge effort, plus gravity is lighter for him. In other words, Danny has the same strength a human would have if not having those limitations. Another theory; do ghosts breath? I think they can exist without air, but they need it to communicate. Without air you can't talk at all, and even if you could the sound waves can't travel. "

**- acosta perez jose ramiro**

"My personal explanation is that ghosts are partially based on a certain kind of electricity (maybe electromagnetism), which is why Danny got powers from being electrocuted in the Ghost Portal. Scientists have used electromagnetics to levitate objects, so it could possibly be related to flying."

**- Nearly Dead**

Now, for my -air quote- "Long Awaited Theory" -end air quote-

Now, I know that the theme song shows his DNA being rearranged. They even say "his molecules got all rearranged" in the theme song. Yet, ghosts don't _have _DNA. They're made up of energy fields instead of matter. Yes, I am learning about matter in science class at the moment, and my teacher did say that everything is made up of matter, but ghosts are not made up of matter. You must accept the truth!!! (haha, just kidding. =D) When Danny "goes ghost", as he calls it, he changes his structures so he is made of energy, not matter.

Most ghosts are naturally malevolent, as much as I'd hate to almost agree with Jack and Maddie. But I didn't say _all _ghosts. There are nice ghosts, such as The Dairy King, Cujo, and Wulf. But most are malevolent, due to having some strange purpose of coming back to haunt the Earth, and usually the purposes are bad.

Are you still following me? OK then. The Ghost Zone is full of the energy ghosts need, it's like their food. So, naturally, they would weaken if they stayed in our world for too long. But, they can feed off the emotions of human beings. They feed off of fear and pain.

Danny's the exception. He does _not _feed off of fear and pain, and he is _not _evil or malevolent. While in his ghost form, Danny gets his energy from good emotions. Happiness, gratefulness, joyfulness, et cetera. He gets very good energy from his friends and Jazz, who are usually around him while fighting ghosts. Danny feeds off of good energy because he _is _still a human, and humans have emotions. If he were to ever be separated from the people who loved him, he would basically go insane. That would explain Dan, who was both isolated from his family _and _split apart from his human half, thus taking away his human emotions.

It is possible for Danny to change what type of emotions he gets his energy from, though. But, it has to take something major, like the events in _TUE_, but he also has to somehow want it on some level.

Vlad, on the other hand, is malevolent. But not entirely. Yes, he is a villain. That is because he doesn't have anyone who cares for him, besides Jack, who is an idiot (in Vlad's point of view). He's not entirely malevolent because, is you remember from the episode _Kindred Spirits, _he said he just wanted someone who loved him. And in _The Ultimate Enemy _he said that 20 years without ghost powers had given him a chance to realize what a fool he'd been.

As for Danny's temperature, I'm going to have to say that I don't think it would be significantly lower than the average human. Sure, maybe it would be, maybe, half a degree lower. Maybe a whole degree, but not too much. The normal temperature for a human being is 98.6 Fahrenheit . The highest I've seen his temperature be is 96.0. Even then, half-ghost or not, Danny would be constantly shivering, and probably wearing a coat everywhere. Think of the episode "Urban Jungle", that little clip before the theme song. But, back to my theories; I've seen his temperature even be 65 degrees Fahrenheit before! Chances are anyone would die if their temp was _that _low!

And that brings me to the whole half-dead thing. I really don't know. I think he's just alive in human form and dead in ghost form. Simple, right? Hopefully. =)

I think that pretty much covers my thoughts on the whole Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom thing. Sorry if you got confused at any point in the story.

Sources:

BluFox15

acosta perez jose ramiro

PsychoKitty1991

Nearly Dead

_Danny Phantom _episodes

My mind. =)

_[3 and 1/4 pages on word. 1,401 words]_


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